A Past Long Forgotten
by MoonlightShadows13
Summary: When a past comes back to haunt you, it's never a coincidence. Or is it? This is the story of Sam's awful coincidence, and the past that comes back to haunt him without ever wanting to. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

The team was walking away from school, talking avidly. They were trying to figure out what to do about chore week. None of them wanted to have to participate in chore week. Well, except Sam, who really didn't care. He was busy looking around for something to hold his interest. His thoughts were wondering with his eyes, from Sarah, to pranks he could pull, the elephant show, all the way to the other side of the street. His eyes drifted along to sidewalk across the bustling street, and he froze. The others didn't really notice. It wasn't until they reached the crosswalk and stopped to wait for the light to change when they noticed he wasn't with them.

"Bucket- head! Hurry up!" Ava yelled back at him. Sam broke from his retrieve, and hurried to catch up with reached them as the light changed, crossing with them. Danny was looking at him strangely.

"What?" Sam asked, but Danny just shook his head and looked away. Shrugging, Sam began to skip alongside his friends until Ava hit him upside the head.

"Ow..." Sam rubbed the back of head.

"I asked you what you thought we should do about chore week." Ava glared at him, annoyed that he had ignored her.

"I don't really care. Doing the chores, or not doing them, all the same to me." Ava rolled her eyes. They stopped under the shadow of the Helicarrier, and Sam stretched, ducking behind a building and changing into his Nova costume. He flew toward the Helicarrier, picking White Tiger up as he went by. Iron Fist was scaling the buildings by jumping between them, pushing off of either wall. Power man had opted for the stairs. Nova dropped White Tiger by the hatch and flew off, deciding a few laps around the Helicarrier would do him some good. Iron Fist landed beside White Tiger and Power man jumped up after him. They went inside, continuing their conversation from earlier. They were sitting in the living room when Nova came in, pulling his helmet off.

He flopped down beside them, munching on a corn dog.

"Where did you get that?" Ava asked him.

"The vender on the other side of town." Sam replied, filling his mouth with corn dog again.

"I really hope you paid for that."

"I did! I only steal corn dogs when I'm depressed." Ava rolled her eyes. How Sam could ever be depressed was a mystery to her. Colson walked in.

"Oh, I was just looking for you. Fury wants to see you guys in the debriefing room." The team sighed. They knew what this meeting would be about.

"I'm glad to see you all here." Fury stood at the head of the table, looking at the four teens that made up most of one of the best teams to have been trained by SHEILD. "I just wanted to alert you of some changes to chore week." The team all groaned inwardly.

"You can not trade chores. After the toilet situation, that is no longer an option." Everyone looked pointedly at Sam.

"Ok, one time I forget that the toilet off the training hall backs up if you don't pour the bleach in before flushing, and you just won't let it go!"

"That whole wing was flooded for a month! We couldn't get any training in!" Ava said. Sam slumped back in his seat, pouting. His mind drifted back to the other side of the street earlier that day as Fury continued. The reason he had frozen so suddenly was because of a glimpse he had seen of a person walking down the other side of the street. He figured now that it had just been a trick of the light. It couldn't have actually been _Her_, now that he thought about it. It had just been someone that had looked like her, and he had been mistaken. That was it. Sam told himself this again and again, until he believed it full heartedly, but there was still that paranoid part of him in the back of his mind saying,

_'Well, you could have been right the first time.'_

Sam shoved this to the back of his mind, determined not to let it wriggle in and break his assuredness. Or whatever word went there. He crinkled his brow, trying to remember if that was the right word, or if there was a better word that went there. Sam shrugged, dismissing his worry. It didn't really matter.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sam was running down a beach. Turquoise water lapped at his feet, washing away his footprints. He was running toward a figure that stood a ways away, staring out at the sea. Wind swept her hair back, and it laced out behind her, a river of molten chocolate._

_"Miranda!" Sam yelled, waving his hand frantically above his head. The figure turned to smile at him._

_"You're late again!" She called teasingly as he trotted up to her._

_"Sorry, I was saving the world." Sam grinned at her, and she grinned back, straight white teeth reflecting the bright sunlight. The truth was that he had been saving the world. Using the power of the cosmos channeled through his helmet he had received from aliens, but no one believed that. He didn't mind._

_The two spent the afternoon playing on the beach, splashing water and frolicking around. When the sun was beginning to set the two flopped down next to each other, watching the water turn golden as the sun dropped behind it._

_"Sam..." Miranda said quietly._

_"What is it?" He turned to look at her, and noticed how beautiful she was. It made him draw in his breath sharply. Her eyes were turquoise like the sea and reflected the golden light that flowed all around them. Her chocolate hair gathered at the small of her back, seeming to contain a myriad of rainbows._

_"Things can't be the same now."_

_"What? Why not?"_

_"Sam. I- I killed somebody."_

_"You- you did?" Sam's voice was barely a whisper. Miranda nodded. "W- Who?" Miranda stood, turning away._

_"Your mom."_

_"What? But why? What happened?" Sam leaped up._

_"Nothing. It would be wise for you to forget about me, Sam. I'm just a criminal now."_

_"That's a lie! You'll always be Miranda, the girl- the girl-" Sam stopped, his voice lowering from a shout. "The girl I love." He hadn't realized it until that moment, but it was true. He loved her._

_"No. You're wrong. I am no longer that girl. Now, I'm someone else. I just haven't figured out who yet."_

_"Why? Why does it have to be this way?"_

_"That's just the way it is!" Miranda clutched the amulet Sam had given her. It was a beautiful purple and blue shell he had found on the beach and had gotten strung on a chain. It had been far to big, and Sam had been devastated. Miranda had told him it was fine, now she could wear it forever._

_"Goodbye Sam." She walked away, leaving behind only memories, footsteps, and tear stains on the sand, nothing else. The waves quickly washed the later two away. Sam let his head drop, his own tears mixing with the salty water._

Sam woke with a jolt, sticky tear streaks carving shining paths down his cheeks. He dragged himself out of bed, trudging to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, then stuck his whole head under the faucet. Pulling back, he looked at himself in the mirror. _That_ memory hadn't drifted to the surface for awhile now. Shaking his head, spraying water everywhere, he went back to bed. He knew Danny would be pissed to find water everywhere in the morning, but he just ignored that. Colapsing on his bed, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam was trying to creep out of the Helicarrier before Danny woke up. Last night he hadn't cared if the monk had been mad at him for making a mess, but now he realized it could be very, very, harmful to his health. He was just slipping out the hatch when he heard a ruckus. Ruckus. Now that was a cool word. Ruckus, ruckus, ruckus.

Sam was jerked from his happy cool word thoughts as Ava yelled out his name.

"SAM! YOU HAD BETTER GET DOWN HERE OR I'LL COME GET YOU, AND TRUST ME YOU DON'T WANT THAT!" Sam winced. Maybe he should have been more worried about how Ava would have reacted to Danny not leaving his room because he had to meditate to not snap Sam's neck… Danny was also Ava's science partner for the big project coming up… Yeah, he should have been more worried about Ava…

Sam leaped off the Helicarrier, yanking his helmet on. He soared through the skies, making a beeline for school. He could make it, he could make it, he could-

Sam slammed into something that felt like another human and they both fell to the roof under them.

"Jeez, watch it. Just because you're a super hero doesn't mean you don't have to watch where you're going." The voice was vaguely familiar, but Sam's body hurt too much to really notice.

"Well, I assumed no one would be stupid enough to jump in front of a speeding, incredibly awesome, and devilishly handsome, superhero!"

"Who said anything about devilishly handsome, Buckethead!"

"I did, obviously, idiot!"

"Who are you calling idiot? You're the one who ran into me, stupid!"

"I did not! Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Don't you? You were the one, and I quote, speeding!"

"Only to avoid death!"

"Death? What are you, a drama queen?"

"No! I'm a superhero, who risks his life daily to protect every ungrateful citizen in this stupid city! I would rather be back in the Bahamas with my best friend on a beach, but no-o, she had to go and kill someone and go tramping all around the world! And then I just had to follow and get stuck in the worst city in the entire UNIVERSE!" Sam stopped short, opening his eyes for the first time since crashing into this mysterious person. He hadn't even realized he didn't like New York until just now when he went on a subconscious anger induced monolog.

"Jeez… Why don't you just go back?"

"It's too painful there, too many memories…"

"Memories? You're like, what, sixteen?"

"Yeah, I am… Man now I'm depressed. I need to go steal a corndog." Sam jumped off the side of the building, flying away. The girl he had run into shook her head.

"Idiot. I run right into you, and you still don't recognize me."


	4. Chapter 4

Sam slouched in real detention, munching on his fifth corndog that day. Stupid Mr. Grey had given him detention for being late. Why did he have to be so stupid? Now Sam was going to miss a mission and everything. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Sam found himself knowing angrily at a stick where there should have been corndog. He scowled at it. Judging by the way today was going; he was going to need at least 10 more corndogs before the end of the school day. A new personal record, beating his previous record of three. He slouched out of his chair to the window, which he shoved open and looked out across the skyline.

"I hope you aren't planning a daring escape. In case you haven't noticed, this is one of the few classes on the third story." Mr. Grey said from his position at the desk.

"Trust me, I noticed. I need more corndogs."

"More? You just ate four in a row!"

"Yeah, I know… But I need ten more."

"TEN?" Sam nodded glumly, still staring out the window. Mr. Grey pressed his hands to his forehead, trying to stop the oncoming migraine. This boy just annoyed him so much… Mr. Grey sighed and looked up, only to find the room empty. He jerked back in surprise, and ran to the door, looking up and down the hallway.

"That boy is going to be in so much trouble-"

"For what, sir?" Mr. Grey wheeled around to see Sam sitting in his chair, stuffing a whole corndog in his mouth.

"Where did you- How did you-"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked through a mouthful of corndog.

"Never mind." The bell rang signaling the end of lunch, and Sam ran out of the room. Mr. Grey didn't even see him go by.

%%%%%%

"Sam, you missed one incredible mission today! Where were you?" Pete asked as they were walking toward the Helicarier. Sam simply stuffed another corndog in his mouth muttering,

"Why do you care anyway, Bugbrain?"

"Man, are you okay? You seem a little off today." Luke said, looking at his friend and teammate with concern. "That and I've never seen you eat that many corndogs in one day."

"I like corndogs." Sam pouted.

"Keeping negative feelings inside you will only allow them to grow into a plague that gradually destroys the mind." Danny put in. Sam looked at him to see he was giving him that same look from the day before. Turning away, Sam just shook his head.

_'If that's true, then my mind is already gone.'_ He thought.

"I just need to clear my head." Sam ducked into the nearest doorway, changing at lightning fast speed into Nova. He pulled his helmet on and flew away. They watched him go, worried. Danny shook his head, and the others turned to him, crossing their arms.

"Alright, spill." Danny's eyes widened slightly.

"When you make assumptions, you make an-"

"Save it, fortune cookie. You know something about what's going on with Sam, and you're going to tell us." Pete interrupted.

"Secrets entrusted to someone are better kept that shared, lest you lose the trust of the one who told you."

"So, he did tell you something." Danny hesitated.

"Not exactly…"


	5. Chapter 5

Sam sat on the roof on which he had landed after running into the mystery person. Now that he thought about it, it was rather odd. They would have had to have been flying as well, and as far as he knew, no one else could fly, not like he could. He lay back, his feet dangling off the edge. Closing his eyes, he drifted into a light sleep.

_Light filtered through the leaves of the trees above him. He peered around the tree in front of him, only to see a small girl curled at the base of a tree. He crept up to her, and put his hand on her shoulder gently. She lifted her head to look at him, and he jerked his hand away. She seemed to be about his age, and looked rather sad. She turned away from him, resting her chin on her knees, which were drawn to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. Sam sat gingerly down next to her. Her turquoise eyes stared straight ahead._

_"You know, it's more fun to spend time with more people than just yourself." Sam said. When she didn't reply, he continued, "My name's Samuel Alexander, but everyone calls me Sam. This is a cool place. The Bahamas, man it's so cool here. Not literally! Well, I suppose you could have guessed that, huh?" Sam rattled on for hours, until the light around them turned orange._

_Sam stood, stretching his sore muscles. "Sorry, but I have to go, otherwise my mom will worry, you know moms. You know, you never told me your name." The girl looked at him, raising her head._

_"Miranda. Miranda Ortega."_

_"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miranda." Sam smiled at her one last time before trotting off toward home._

Sam woke with a jerk on the roof. Someone was gently shaking his shoulder. The sun had set, and New York City was glowing beneath him. He sat up stiffly, shaking feeling back into his muscles. He turned to look at the person beside him, and had a serious case of Déjà vu. He shook his head to get rid of the troublesome feeling.

"Hey! You're the one I ran into!"

"Wow, someone's been working hard in school." She said, staring across the sea of lights below them.

"Your sarcasm is ineffective." Sam turned his nose up, looking away from her. She chuckled quietly. Chuckled. What an odd word, I mean, really, where did they get it? Chuckled, chuckled, chuckled. Why not grauch? Grauch sounded cool, not like chuckled. Chuckled just sounded weird. Really weird…

"Shouldn't you get home? You are only like, sixteen." She was looking at him now.

"Whatever. I'm a superhero, I can last one night away from home."

"They'll be worried about you, though."

"I don't know. I just want to talk to someone, but…"

"You don't feel like you can talk to them."

"Yeah. Man, if get any more depressed that corn dog man is going to have to go out of business."

"Because you've been stealing all his corn dogs?"

"Yeah. No, wait… I don't think I'm supposed to admit to that… Crap… I don't remember…"

"Dude… You need to go sleep. In a real bed, not on a roof."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just don't want to see any of them now. Especially not Bugbrain."

"Bugbrain?"

"Yeah. The Spectacular Spiderman who apparently knows everything."

"Your sarcasm is ineffective." She cocked an eyebrow at him, the barest trace of a smile sliding across her lips. He grinned full heartedly back, and the two began to laugh. Soon they were lying on their backs, staring at the black sky.

"You know, I used to love the stars, but since coming here, I haven't been able to see them." Sam turned his head to look at the girl beside him.

"They aren't gone forever, you know. Come on." He stood, holding his hand out to her. She took it, standing up. He pulled her next to him.

"Hold on tight, wouldn't want you falling." And he took off, soaring through the sky, until they were above where the light pollution reached. Sam saw the girl next to him smile.

"They're even more beautiful than I remember."


	6. Chapter 6

Sam slipped through the Helicarier like a shadow. He slid through room after room, his mission objective; reach his bed without being noticed. So far, so good. Now came the hard part. He couldn't clear the next room because of the angle of the door. He was going in blind, and if someone was in the room the teens normally hung out in, he was done for.

Sliding around the frame, Sam slid into the room, and was greeted by a blinding flash of light as the overhead lights turned on. Crap. Why couldn't they go to bed at 8:00 like they're supposed to, really?

Sam looked at the faces of the whole team. It surprised him slightly that Pete was here, I mean, shouldn't he be with his Aunt June, or was it July, or maybe May, whatever, it was one of the summer months.

"Sam…" Ava said quietly. Sam looked at her, and then realized something odd. Danny wasn't here. Odd… Quite odd… "We need to talk. You seem kind of… um… off lately…"

"Off? What are you talking about?"

"We all noticed it, Sam. Danny also knows something we don't."

"Hey, speaking of Danny, where is he?"

"His room. We told him we'd beat him up if he didn't tell us what he knew, so he barricaded himself in his room." Pete supplied. Sam rolled his eyes, stuffing a granola bar in his mouth.

"Man, come on, talk to us." Luke said, rising from his seat and walking to Sam, setting a hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong, I just need some more sleep, that's it!"

"Dude, you've been sleeping like a rock for the past week." Pete said from the couch.

"Rocks don't sleep, Bugbrain. Aren't you the self credited smartest of the group?"

"He's got a point." Luke said. Pete just glared at them both.

"Stop fighting, dorks." Ava said, standing. "I need sleep. I've got a calculus test tomorrow. If you don't want to talk about it, whatever." The others followed her lead, Pete going back to his Aunt's, and Luke going to bed. Sam walked to his room, putting on his train pajamas. He walked through the bathroom to the door that led to Danny's room. Sam knocked.

"Danny? Danny? DAAANNNNY?" The door jerked open to reveal a rather tired looking Danny.

"Look, Sam, if this is about chore week, I did your chores for you."

"Oh, well thanks, but actually, this is about something Ava said."

"Fine." Danny moved from the door, flopping down on the floor. Sam sat in front of him.

"She said that you knew something about my situation they didn't."

"Yeah, you could say that." Danny laid his against his bed, closing his eyes. Sam hesitated.

"Well, could you tell me what?"

"I know… I know… you saw someone you never thought you'd see again." Sam was stunned.

"How?"

"It was the look when we were walking back and you suddenly stopped the look on your face. I've seen that look before. I know exactly what it means, in fact, I've given that look."


	7. Chapter 7

Sam felt sore in the morning, and half asleep through the day. Danny had told him about everything, and Sam had had to think about it instead of sleep. There was just too much to process in a few minutes. As school dragged on, Sam was glad it was already Wednesday. He only had two days more to live through, and then it was the weekend.

Sam shuffled out of math, his head spinning with factorials, radicals, and decimal points. He yawned, and it pulled at his face, stretching the skin taught. Sluggishly moving toward the lunch room, he heard Colson call his name.

"Sam Alexander! You are to report to detention now!" Sam sighed. Today of all days, some stupid villain decided to try and pull off some stupid heist. Jeez, didn't they ever take a break? He turned, and walked into detention, flopping down in his seat. Danny glanced at him, but the seats dropped beneath them before he could say anything. Sam was sliding down a tube, and hit his watch, opening the com link.

"Where to today, Bugbrain?" Sam asked, yawning again under his mask.

"Downtown. Batroc the Leaper just hit a bank."

"Really? They need the whole team to take down Batroc?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Get your head in the game, Sparkplug. Just because Batroc is a minor villain doesn't mean he isn't good for practice," White Tiger said.

"Like we need any more practice. We should be out there taking down a real villain, like Dr. Doom!"

"Yeah, because that worked out so-o well last time, Buckethead," Spiderman said snidely. Nova glared at the moving wall of rounded tube in front of him.

"Don't start fighting now," White Tiger snapped at them.

"She's right, divided we fall, united we stand." Iron Fist said.

"Downtown's coming up," Powerman reported.

"Alright, prepare for tube departure." Spiderman said, taking charge, as usual. Stupid Bugbrain thought he ruled the world. Nova initiated his powers, and hovered up, shooting through the tunnel like a rocket. Years of practice weaving through trees gave him the quick reflexes needed to maneuver the tube with ease. He shot out of the downtown exit, and slammed into Batroc the Leaper, who was trying to leap away. Nova tumbled, but regained his balance, shooting an energy blast as Batroc, who leaped out of the way. Gritting his teeth, he aimed two more shots. One at where Batroc was, and one where he would be… Hopefully. Nova fired the first one, and the second one in quick succession. Batroc leaped out of the way of the first one, only to get a face full of the second. He tumbled to the roof, and Nova flew down, tying him up with rope he got… Somewhere… He didn't even know himself where the rope came from, but he had it, so he tied Batroc up with it. The others showed up a few minutes later, looking at Batroc already tied up.

"Looks like Buckethead got here faster than we did." Spiderman said.

"Come on, let's take this guy back to HQ, and get back to school," White Tiger hopped down the building, Powerman grabbing Batroc before following. Iron Fist and Spiderman were close behind, and the foursome managed to slide into fifth period before the bell rang. Sam was already sitting in his seat, chin set on the desk. Danny took his seat beside him. The teacher began class, lecturing on the importance of all organisms in the environment. By the time biology ended, Sam was ready to highjack it out of there.

Sam stretched, and yawned again. He gathered his crap and walked toward the last period of the day, science, where, unfortunately he had to work on the big project coming up with what's her name. She looked a bit like a cat with pointed green eyes and thick brown hair cut around her chin.

Reaching science, Sam flopped down in his assigned seat. When class started, car girl came up to him, ready to work on a project he didn't want to do. Unfortunately, she was prepared to take a bad grade if he didn't pull his weight, so he had to work on it. Sam really had no idea what they were making, but he put the pieces together the way the blueprint said. While he did that, cat girl, he still didn't know her name, wrote the report. Sam managed to finish the small machine as the bell rang, and he stood, picking his bag up off the ground. He shuffled out the door, not even glancing back.

On his way home, Sam saw the girl he had run into on the roof again. He dropped down beside her, and she smiled at him. That's when his brain finally worked it out.

"Miranda."


	8. Chapter 8

Miranda dodged his shots easily. She looked almost bored as he swung at her again. She caught his hand, curling her fingers around it. She threw him to the side, and he pitched off the roof. Damn she was strong. Sam caught himself in the air, flipping and flying at her. Miranda rolled her turquoise eyes, and dropped to her back, punching him in the stomach as he flew over her. He fired blasts of white hot energy at her, but she danced between them. He fired again, and followed it. Sam managed to clip her on her shoulder, and a chain was jerked from under her collar. It looked dreadfully familiar, but then again, everything about her did. The bored look on her face, the way she moved, everything gave off an aura of familiarity. It was like a knife to the heart.

Sam lunged again, shooting at her at super sonic speeds, but she stopped him short with just her hand. When he was two feet from her, she shot her hand out, hitting her palm on the middle of his helmet. He shuddered from the impact, but she didn't even flinch. Her fingers curled around the edges, and she yanked the helmet off his head. Powerless, he glared up at her. Miranda knelt down in front of him.

"Sam."

"Don't. Don't even try. It's useless now." His jaw hurt from clenching his teeth together.

"I think you should know something."

"Oh, there are lots of things I should know, but none of them from you, creep."

"I didn't kill her."

"Liar!" Miranda just shook her head, pulling the chain to reveal the shell at the bottom.

"If I had killed her, why keep evidence that I was there?" Sam could feel tears burning the back of his eyes.

"I don't want to hear this, creep!" He yelled. Miranda stood, and threw his helmet across the roof.

"Creep, huh? You're the one who followed me."

"To kill you," Sam spat.

"Kill me? You've gotten better Sam, but you could never beat me in a fight. Not then, not now."

"Yeah? What makes you so sure?" Miranda just looked at him, smirking slightly. Sam hated it, but he knew she was right.

"See you, Sam." She jumped off the edge of the roof, and Sam ran to it, looking down desperately. He couldn't help it; he still loved her, deep down. Under all the negative emotions he had accumulated over the years, under his anger, fear, and sadness, there was love, and the faint imprint of happiness from long buried memories.

Sam walked to where his helmet lay, and pulled it on. Soaring through the sky, he shot toward the Helicarier. Landing on the metal hull, he dropped through the hatch. Soon he was rummaging through the fridge, trying to find something to eat you. After a time, he found a jar of pickles and a tub of Nutella. Flopping down on the couch in the break room, he flipped through the channels to find something to watch. He soon settled on the nature channel. Scooping Nutella out of the jar with his pickles, he watched a documentary on the life of birds. It wasn't until he found himself out of pickles and Nutella he remembered it was chore week.

Groaning, he fished the mop out of a nearby closet and set to cleaning the kitchen. He managed to finish his chores before the others, thanks to the help of his cosmic powers. Yawning, he remembered just how tired he was, so he turned in early, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9

_It was dark. Blackness cloaked him like a velvet blanket. Sam could barely see three feet around him. Shots rang out to his right, and he ran toward the sound. He smacked into a tree. Falling back, he rubbed his head, his fingers contacting something sticky, wet, and warm. He stood up, now moving carefully, making sure not to run into any more trees. In the distance he saw a faint patch of moonlight. Sam slunk up to the clearing it was coming from, and looked on the scene in front of him with fright. Miranda stood in the middle of the clearing, the bodies of black suited men around her, guns limp in their hands. Blood stained their clothes, and Miranda was staring at straight ahead, at something only she could see._

_Sam saw the gun in her hands, the blood on her clothes, and he knew, she had killed these men. Why did she keep killing, everywhere she went and everywhere he followed, blood stained the ground and seeped into her skin. It was contaminating her, Sam could tell. The blood was also in her hair, and when she turned toward him, he saw it in her eyes, too. Miranda stared into his eyes, then turned away, and walked through the forest, fading into another shadow._

Sam opened his eyes. That was a few years ago. The Rockies if he remembered right. He had then followed her here, to New York. It was a long trip, with so much cloak and dagger that he had gotten a life time's worth. Now he was stuck here. Sam sat up in bed, glancing at the clock. He jumped up, lurching into some clothes and dashing through the hallways. He bumped into Luke on his way to the kitchen.

"Luke! We're so late we're going to get detention for a month!" Luke laughed, patting Sam on the back.

"There was a freak snow storm, no school today, Sam. Fury even let us have the day off from training there's so much."

"What? It's the middle of April."

"That's why it's a freak storm, Buckethead." Pete said, coming up behind him.

"Bugbrain?! Shouldn't you be with your Aunt June?"

"June? Her name's May, idiot."

"You're the only idiot here, Bugbrain! I need to go check out this storm." Sam yanked on his helmet, climbing out of the Helicarier. He was shocked at how much snow there was. It was a good five feet deep, and the river was frozen over. The snow was still falling, too, thick and fast. Déjà vu hit him with the force of a freight train, and he should know, after the Chicago incident.

Taking off, he flew through the storm, bits and pieces of memory flashing to him. Frowning, he shot above the clouds, looking down across them. There was a gap in the thick grey clouds. Sam flew toward it, diving through the small hole. He landed on the roof where he had run into Miranda for the first time in years. A circle of warmth surrounded her. She wasn't the only one there, either. A man in a black suit was fighting her, and it became apparent to Sam that the snow was a cover so no one could see this. Miranda was good, but outmatched. The man hit her over the head with a rock, and she dropped like a dead body. The man leaned over her, and Sam just caught the words,

"Silly girl, did you really think you could avenge your friend's mother. You know, I had a lot of fun killing her, but you're going to be even more fun to kill." The man pulled a gun from his jacket, and aimed it at her head.

"Get away from her!" Sam yelled, blasting the man to the side with a well aimed blow. His anger made his temperature rise, and all the energy he had absorbed blasted out, hitting the man in the chest. The man's eyes widened and he began to disintegrate. His flesh turned to ashes as Sam's blast hit him. Soon all that was left was the snow, the cold, and a girl Sam had thought killed his mother.


	10. Chapter 10

Miranda woke in the Helicarier infirmary. Her whole body hurt. She turned her head to see Sam sitting in a chair by her bed. He looked up when she moved, and his blue eyes locked on her turquoise ones. She curled her fingers around the gun taped to her leg. Sam watched her carefully.

"Where am I, Sam?"

"The Helicarier."

"The other man, is he dead?"

"Yes, he is."

"Good." Miranda closed her eyes, and slid the gun up so it pointed at the bottom of her chin. "Sam? Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Sam take this." Miranda pulled the amulet off around her neck, handing it to him. He took it with shaking hands.

"Why?"

"Because, Sam, I need you to remember me."

"What?"

"I'll see you Sam; I'll be seeing you, somewhere, sometime." Miranda stood, and walked out. Sam didn't try to stop her. He knew as well as anyone she was impossible to stop.

"Wait!" He yelled. He ran to her, and kissed her. She was stiff at first, but relaxed. After awhile, they pulled away, looking at each other.

"I love you, too Sam." Miranda climbed out the hatch, leaving him behind. Standing on the edge of the hull, she lifted to the gun to her head.

"Forgive me, Sam Alexander, for betraying your trust." She pulled the trigger, her body falling off the edge toward the river, ready to be gone forever.

Inside the Helicarier Sam stood, silently crying, the amulet clutched to his chest.

The shot rang out, signaling the end of one life, and the beginning of another.


End file.
